Twilight : As Twilight Falls
by DocumenteKaze232111
Summary: "He had told me, in his gentle, kindly voice, to close my eyes." Alice sees their final moments together, and in their final moments, she realizes that Carlisle and Esme were smiling, despite everything. What will the Cullen family do, without their leader, without their mother? UP FOR ADOPTION!
1. Prologue : Together, We Lay to Die

**: : Œ : : ****As Twilight Falls**** : : Œ : :**

** Prologue:**

**Together, We Lay To Die**

_**Point of View - Esme Cullen.** _

He had told me, in his gentle, kindly voice, to close my eyes.

He was smiling - and despite everything, despite the pain, despite the crushing knowledge that our existence was about to be extinguished, I smiled. Our eyes met, and although he could not speak though his agony, I knew what my beloved was telling me. His golden eyes, dull with his pain, were still alight with the love that, to this very moment, had a hold upon my unbeating heart. To any other, he was watching me, wanting me to be his only sight as he burned. To any other, he was saying goodbye; but I knew the truth in his unwavering gaze.

My beloved, my Carisle, was reminding me that he loved me- in our last moments, in our last unnessesary breaths, he loved me - reminding me that he always will, even in the end.

"I know." I murmured. I was surprised,despite the abuse I had willingly taken over the hours, that my voice had the strength to make a sound - surprised that I somehow had the strength to speak to him. His kind smile could only brighten. His strength was quickly fading to nothing - and somehow, Carisle knew this.

He knew that this was the end.

He somehow knew, as he lay broken on the soft morning-dew grass, as he lay facing me, his face only an inch away from mine - he knew this was our end. He drew his hand from his side and gently held my cheek. As he touched me, I realized that my dying beloved had used the last of his strength to comfort me. His eyes flickered, and I knew that it was time. I knew that he wanted our sufferings at their hands to finally end.

His eyes closed.

I wanted to tell him how much he meant to me; how he had healed me after he saved my life, how I did not mind, if we were damned because of what we were, that if I were damned with him, perhaps a Hell could not be too bad.

I wanted to tell him that I loved him.

_Carisle... My love, together, we lay to die._

Somewhere close to where our figures lay in the soft grass, our enemies stepped forward from under the shadows of the trees around us with the intent to end our existence.

I closed my eyes.


	2. A Birthday to Celebrate

**Chapter One:**

**A Birthday To Celebrate**

_**Point of View - Carisle Cullen.**_

The rising dawn has always been surrounded by beauty and mystery. The sight of it, although it will never again warm my eternally-cold figure, earned a smile. From downstairs, the gentle song of the piano welcomed the shining orb of flames.

The day marked a special event – one that no human will ever know of, but to our kind, to my family especially, today was just another reason to stay home and celebrate our existences – even if the sun had not appeared on this cloudless morning in the usually damp and cloudy state, I doubt that my children would have set off to their roles as students in the local school.

Today was the century mark, the one-hundereth birthday, of Isabella Swan. One-hundred years ago, near this very hour, Bella's crimsion, newborn eyes opened for the first time – her first true look of the new existence in front of her. She had joined our family; as had her and my son's daughter, Renesmee. My granddaughter. I remember my surprise and pride when I beheld her for the very first time. Such a beautiful girl – such a gift to my family – the child that my daughters, and even my lovely wife, wanted for so terribly.

_My lovely wife. My Esme. _My thoughts turned to her, and suddenly, I felt as if I were the luckiest man alive – or rather, the luckiest Vampirein existence. A perfect wife, a perfect family. What more could I ask for?

**: : Œ : :**

"Carisle!" The piercing shreik came from none other than my youngest daughter, Alice. My mind had drifted off; not uncommon today. This was the third time I had done this, and now, despite her playful glare, I could tell that she was becoming annoyed with me, if only very slightly. "Carisle, pay attention!"

I apologized, but could see that it would be a great firey death for me if I dared drift off again. I apologized more quietly, more to myself than to Alice. "Now that I have Carisle's undivided attention," She sent a glance towards me, and I smiled. Rolling her eyes dramatically, she continued grandly, "I'd like to say that, despite not knowing the first thing about dressing herself, Bella has adjusted well to her existence." This was met by cheers, and a mutter of playful annoyance from Bella.

This entire venture had been her idea. But, to say the least, despite not being able to concentrate because of the thoughts that were running like scurrying mice through my mind at the moment, I was enjoying the familiy time that this brought us.

"I personally belief she was worth the trouble." Emmett snickered, admist the chuckles and low hiss from Edward. "She and little Nessie." He added, and I was sure that his booming laughter alone could be heard miles away. "We wouldn't be a whole family without them." That sobered rarely said things like that; and when he did, the atmosphrere grew serious.

"I second t hat." It was the voice of my wife that caught my undivided attention. I turned my head, and met her golden eyes. If she could have turned pink, she would have; but she settled on sending me a playful glare for distracting her, then continued, a radiant smile on her perfect, sculpted lips. "I don't pick favorites - " At this, there were groans and mutters of disbelief. Her smile grew as she continued as if she had not heard them. "But Bella does have that special something that our family didn't have before she appeared in our existences."

"And me!" Chimed Reneesme from her mother's lap. If my wife smiled any wider, her lips would grow larger than her cheeks. At these thoughts, Edward sent me a grin. It was my turn to ignore what he was surely thinking. I was rewarded when Edward chuckled at my antics.

"And you too, sweetie." Esme agreed full-heartedly. Then she turned her loving gaze toward me, and I knew that it was my turn to speak.

As I was saying, it was Alice's idea to do this. What we were doing was simply telling the family what we thought had changed our family when Bella became one of us (and what had changed our family when Reneesme was born.)

"Before Bella joined our family as one of us," I began uncertainly, and Esme nodded in appreciation and encouragement as our children giggled and laughed at me, "Edward was alone. I honestly thought that he had given up on finding that special someone." My children were shocked, to say the very least, that these heartfelt words were coming from me. It was more Esme's domain; but they could laugh, if they wanted to.

"But suddenly, he was in my office one day at Forks hospital." I continued, my eyes on my oldest son and his love, "I had little hope, let me be honest, but after the affair with James," At this, Bella winced. Her human memories were as solidified as they could be; and what she had suffered through with the tracker Vampire was as clear as day, "The Volterra incident," Edward ground his teeth, "Victoria," I felt Esme tense from beside me, and I paused, "And the trouble with the Volturi that Irina caused, however accidentally," Reneesme noticably flinched, and Alice clenched her fists. "I knew that Edward had finally found everything he was looking for," I hesitated, wondering if my words were growing too painful, "In Bella."

There was a long silence as my words were considered. But when my children and wife broke out into smiles, I knew that what I had said was nothing but the truth.

"I _suppose _you were worth the trouble, Bella." Rosalie teased, finally breaking the silence. Bella mock-glared at her. Edward smiled when Bella turned to him for support.

"I'd have to agree with Rose, Bella." That remark earned my son a knock in the head with a pillow. In turn, he threw it to Rosalie, who quickly returned it to my wife. She turned her sights to me, and I rose my hands in mock-surrendure. Grinning, she tossed it instead at Emmett. Of course, Emmett returned the favor.

_It was times like these, _I thought as I took a cushion to protect myself with as war broke out between my children and Esme, _That made everything our family has suffered though worth every moment._


	3. A Vision of Haze

**Chapter Two:**

**A Vision of Haze**

_**Point of View - Alice Cullen.**_

_Their expressions were lay, only several inches apart from each other, in dew-covered grass that smelled of earth and flowers. He murmured weakly, touching her cheek and, shortly afterward, closing his eyes. Her eyes showed hundreds of different emotions, before she smiled and slowly closed her eyes._

_ If it were not for the flames that suddenly erupted and encircled them, I would have thought that they were resting. If it not for the flames that burned and destroyed them, I would have thought that I had merely seen the aftermath of their love-making, which I had seen before. But their clothes were ripped and shredded, as if claws had torn them to shreds, piece by piece._

_ Had I not heard, before the burning, screams and cries of pain, and words of violence and threats, I would not have believed the vision was real._

_ But it was – and somehow I knew the decision that had lead to this was already made._

_ It was only a matter of time._

**: : Œ : :**

I had not realized I had fallen to the dirt before I heard Jasper shouting my name. I heard footsteps, and suddenly his cool arms encircled me and pulled me close. Dazed, I could only mumble, "What happened?" As if I did not know that.

I had been hunting, along with my siblings. Of our family, only Carisle, Esme, and Reneesme were not present; the three had decided to spend the day together, as it had been a pleasantly cloudy day with the chance of thunder and lightning tonight – which we would, of course, take advantage of. I had smiled secretly to myself, knowing from my visions that my team would win tonight. I had carefully hid that fact from Edward. I sensed an animal – a favorite – near my current location, and had started towards it. That was when a huge pain in the back of my head drove me into the ground. My thoughts jumped to what I had seen.

Carisle. Esme. Burning.

With a jolt, I realized too late that Edward – _God, Edward! _- could hear my every thought; that he would have seen my vision. I heard his snarl, his feral shreik of horror and pain. For Edward to make such a dreadful sound, in front of his wife, no less, my siblings suddenly aware of what must have caused my sudden collapse into the dirt.

The hunt and tonight's game forgotten, Jasper helped me to my feet. Still unsteady, I leaned against him for support. _Why do I feel this weak? _The answer came unbidden to my mind, as if I already knew it. _Because of the vision. I have never seen something like that before...those voices...never heard those before, either. Has my power grown?_

"Alice, what happened?" Jasper's frantic voice pulled me from my thoughts. "What did you see?" I knew I could not hide the truth from them. Not with Edward knowing what I had seen, and, besides that, I could not lie to Jasper.

So I spoke. "I saw Carisle and Esme." I realized I was whispering. Now surrounded by my siblings, I whispered those final, crushing words. "They were burning." Finally, my strength allowed me to pull away from Jasper. "I saw them - dead." The last word caught in my thoat and I choked it out. Not even Jasper, my Jasper, threw a concerned glance my way. He just stared at the ground.

The ache at the base of my skull intensified as I moved. Closing my eyes, I searched. But I felt strangely empty. Even the tiny, one-moment flashes were gone. Fear of what possibly happened to my ability to see the decisions of the future entered my mind – _What if I am blind?_

Silence. But the silence screamed.

Rosalie was helpless; she did not know what to say or what to do. Emmett was angry; his clenched fists and violently shaking body was evidence. Jasper was shocked and stunned into silence. The emotions that he was feeling because of us was overwhelming him. Bella was frightened for her family; her roaming eyes between her siblings were wide and fearful. Edward was blank; obviously trying to understand exactly what was going to happen to his parents.

I heard a terrible sound. A few moments; then I heard it again. And again...

...Then I realized the sounds were sobs.

And they were coming from me.

**: : Œ : :**

Edward was the first to regain his senses. He snapped us to attention with a single statement. "We must return home very soon." His voice was curiously blank and detatched. "What shall we tell them?"

Rosalie was the second. She did not snap nor hiss or bristle at his question, she she usually would have. Instead, she only whispered, "We will only frighten Esme."

Emmett. "If we don't, they would be caught off guard. Maybe we can prevent this." He said this without much hope. He, out of all my siblings, trusted my visions the most. Carisle was the second – and Rosalie was right. Carisle would believe me. Esme would be frightened of what I had seen. Terrified enough, perhaps, to flee. And Carlisle would no doubt follow.

_And then they would be easier to pick off._

"Alice." Edward warned me. I could not look at him. I felt...I felt as if the world – our world – was ending. I felt as if I could never smile or laugh again. From behind me, Jasper shivered with the sheer strength I was certain my emotions were carrying though him.

"Alice, can you see something? Anything?" Bella finally whispered frantically, her eyes still darting to each of us in turn in fear. "Anything at all?" Her voice was pleading me to search for something, to find something that could tell her that everything would be fine. That her family, that our familiy would survive whatever was coming unscathed.

I could see nothing. But I could -

But the moment I thoughtof _trying_ to see though the haze, the pain in the back of my head suddenly burst forth with tremendous force. I stumbled, and Jasper caught me. Blinded, I could only gasp and grit my teeth as I waited for the pain to pass. The pain was intense, and the message was clear: _I could not try._ My vision was clouding over with a white haze that I could not see though. And when the pain passed, I gasped once more – not in pain, but in shock.

I saw nothing but a curious white haze. I could not see. A kind of terror and panic gripped me, and I felt hands – Edward? - grasp me as I broke away Jasper's grip. I couldn't see, I couldn't see, I couldn't see, I couldn't see, I couldn't -

I could see again. Colors and the bright light of the sun suddenly flooded my eyes and my mind. My knees gave way, and Jasper held me as relief flooded my unbeating heart. I could see again. _I am not blind. But if I try that again, I very well may become so._

I knew the warning I had gathered had sunk in with my siblings when Edward said, "Don't try that again, Alice." My siblings nodded. I could only nod once in agreement.

"What will we do now?" Rosalie asked softly. I could hear the worry and pain in her voice. "What can we do? Alice can't see, and no doubt that we will all be in danger from whatever threat might..." Her voice trailed off. The pain in her golden eyes and musical voice was strong.

"We can't hide this!" Bella seemed to finally have regained herself in these past few minutes. Venom still hazed her vision like tears that would never fall. "We have to prepare - "

"Prepare for what?" Edward snapped. Bella froze, as still as if she had been petrified. Edward sighed, the stress and pain in his expression finally showing itself. But he restrained his anger, if only for the sake of Bella. "Alice can't see – and from the pain of just _trying _to see brought her that kind of anguish...I don't see any hope of preparing for anything."

There was a silence as his words slowly sunk in.

_Carlisle and Esme were doomed._

_No,_ I thought desperately, _No._

Edward bowed his head grimly.

**: : Œ : :**


End file.
